Hi! Yes, this is nearly a week late. Sorry, school sucks. I had no time to write, but, now I have this done! Woo hoo! And there is still no real action or anything. Wah. Oh, well, I had something important to say…oh, yeah!
If you get confused: Alternate Netto will be identified as just Netto when we're with Rockman—who will be Rockman in narration but Saito to the others—and Cyber Netto will be called Netto while those around him will call him Cyber. Make sense? No? Good. Um, did I have anything else to say? I don't remember. Gah. Well, I hope this late chapter will please you. Happy Reading! -waves-
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Chapter Seven: I Am Not Me
"Cyber!" The man sighed in relief, staring at Netto with a small smile on his face.
Hikari Netto wondered how this man's face was so big. It wasn't that he thought the man's head was extremely out of proportion or any feature was mockingly large; it was that, in his vision, there was only this man's face, nothing more.
"Wh-What? Who are you?" Netto frowned deciding to chew on that puzzling observation later and figure out the much needed basics for now.
The man's own smile turned downward, "What do you mean?" He sounded hurt and confused.
Netto looked around, wondering why his head felt so heavy. All that surrounded him was green. There were blocky words scrolling horizontally across the background. Most of it read: "Access."
Netto's eyes widened.
"Where am I? What's going on?" Netto shouted, voice becoming shrill.
He recognized the milieu: it was a PET'S.
What was going on?
"Cyber, initiate program code; begin personality scan." The man ordered suddenly.
Something clicked in Netto's mind, like something had been turned on automatically.
For a minute it was like being gently tugged from ones own body. He felt as though he was floating in mid-air. Then Netto suddenly realized that words were spewing from his mouth unchecked, he had no control of his lips.
"Name: Cyber.EXE. Netbattler: Namu Koruku. All systems functioning conventionally, personality program has been disrupted and infected but is working properly. There is no need to reset." Netto's voice droned monotonously.
Netto blinked as soon as the words stopped coming and was relieved to know that he was in control of his body once more.
The man, Namu Koruku, looked deep in thought. Netto was disturbed, however.
Lifting up a hand, he stared at it with wide eyes.
He was wearing a white glove, one that had not been on his hands before.
An idea came to mind. The image of the north side of Densan City popped into his head, and he silently wished to bring up a map of it.
He slowly outstretched a hand and waited. Suddenly, just before his fingertips, a digitalized screen appeared. It was exactly what he needed, a map and text with exact directions.
Netto stumbled backwards, and the screen disappeared.
The boy stared at his hand again.
No wonder his head was so heavy.
He bet Navi helmets always were.
--
"Saito-kun! What are you doing out of you room?" Netto demanded, clamping his hand firmly onto Rockman's arm.
"I-I wanted to look around." Rockman excused, looking down at the carpeted floor and swinging his PET back-and-forth. Enzan stood in front of him, arms crossed and looking unimpressed.
"Didn't Papa send doctors, though?" Netto asked, chewing on his bottom lip. Rockman shook his head.
Enzan sighed, "I suppose you heard us, then?"
Rockman stared into Enzan's unyielding eyes and nodded.
Netto tightened his grip, "Don't worry Saito-kun! Papa'll make sure they don't use you for a guinea pig!"
Rockman nodded, believing that Hikari Yuuichirou would at least try. But this did not make him feel any better. The government wasn't something you could have a pleasant conversation with, especially if you were trying to talk them out of something they most definitely want. Rockman didn't think Yuuichirou could pull it off.
Enzan voiced Rockman's view most blatantly, "Dr. Hikari can do no such thing. Your father is well-respected, Hikari, but not enough."
Netto snarled. Rockman hadn't seen him do that for quite awhile…
There was a terse pause and within that pause, Rockman decided to ask something.
"Hey, Netto-kun, where're Meiru-chan and Dekao-kun?"
Netto stared at him for a moment before answering, "Oh. They're somewhere, I dunno."
"They're on scout duty." Enzan answered simply, flipping a clipboard he'd suddenly acquired over his shoulder and waving the white piece of paper with the said information in front of their faces.
"Can I go see them?"
Netto shrugged, "Sure." But then he stopped, "Wait, no. Papa sent doctors. You can't—"
"What doctors?" Rockman asked, curious to why Netto kept mentioning them.
"M-Me and Papa were going to see if you had amnesia." Netto answered.
"Oh."
There was another pause.
"Let 'em go see Meiru and Dekao, it wouldn't hurt." Enzan said after a moment, not looking at them as he began to dig through the drawers of his computer desk.
"B-But Enzan-sama!" Gabba cried suddenly, materializing in the room. He had his hands clasped and his features showcasing that constant worry. "He's still recuperating!"
On Netto's shoulder, Classic also appeared.
"I believe Saito-kun can survive a little cut. And you do know it has already been stitched and healed?" The Rockman look-a-like informed the meeker Navi, voice haughty.
"Sh-Shut up! I just think it would be better for his health!" Gabba argued back, clenching his hands at his sides.
"What would you know about health? I've never seen you get hurt in your existence." Classic remarked slyly. Gabba sniffled.
It was obvious who'd won the argument.
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Rockman thought he'd stepped into an army camp. Just like those you saw on TV, it was muddy and rainy and men in uniforms dashed helter-skelter about the encampment.
The wind was blowing harder than he'd ever seen, like a blizzard without snow, and there were so many people. The tents were old and ragged, dark tan in color and made of the simplest but most durable fabric. From a bird's-eye view, campsites with raging fires could be seen scattered across the countless acres of land.
Men and women sat huddled beneath blankets and slickers, shivering and trying to keep warm. Men with stretchers scurried by, upon each bloodied, taut fabric laid men and women battered and beaten with wounds and fractures aplenty.
Rockman gasped and took a step back. He'd never seen anything like this before.
"What's wrong Rock? Y'comin' or not?"
Rockman glanced over at the boy who appeared to be younger than him. He was amazed at how unfazed Netto seemed to his surroundings, the gore nothing but typical. Nonetheless, Rockman nodded hesitantly and followed the brown haired boy as he darted through the campground.
It wasn't long before they paused in front of a tent not unlike the others previous. Netto rushed to the opening and yanked open the flap, yelling, "Dekao! Meiru-chan!" The boy stood there for a second before he took a step back. Rockman barely recognized the boy that followed.
He was big, amazingly big—mostly stomach wise. He wore a baggy camouflaged t-shirt and barely seen tan shorts. Boots clung tightly to his large feet and sunglasses covered tiny brown eyes. But there was hair; curly, messy, and brown, falling over his head like a wet and tangled mop.
"Saito! I'm glad you're up!" The large boy greeted, pulling off his sunglasses and smiling at him warmly.
Rockman nearly fainted on his feet.
"De-Dekao?" Rockman choked out.
"Hey! He remembers you!" Netto cried, surprised and happy all at once.
"Hm?" Dekao looked over, but Netto just shook his head, as though to say that they would talk about it later.
"Hey—Hey! Wait for me!" A familiar feminine voice called from within the tent. Netto laughed as he reopened the flap and let out a very familiar girl.
Short reddish pink hair, a smiling face, and clips of the like of Roll's symbol, Sakurai Meiru hopped into sight. She wore different clothes of course—silver zipped and padded tunic with dark blue jeans and tennis shoes—but her countenance and attitude still radiated the same.
"Saito-kun! You're all right! I'm relieved!" Meiru breathed after promptly grabbing him into a big hug. Rockman was caught off guard but soon relaxed.
"Hi Meiru-chan!" Gabba greeted, materializing onto Rockman's shoulder. She laughed and waved.
"There, Saito, you've seen them." Netto nodded sharply, satisfied.
Before they were able to start up a conversation, however, two more people came from the tent. One was recognizable on the spot. Laika; he looked the same all over. There was no difference, although he did seem to have an air similar to the one he'd held after Searchman had Soul Fused with Rockman.
The man beside him was no one Rockman knew. He reached Laika's shoulder, and his hair was remarkably orange, like a carrot. He wore a lab coat and his green eyes twinkled humorously.
"Laika, Dr. Yamana!" Netto cried, waving and bouncing in the air. The orange-haired man, Dr. Yamana it seemed, smiled his way.
"Ah, Netto! It's good to see you again!" Yamana's voice was warm and soft. Soothing to the ears and felt as though it could never become any louder.
"Was Papa going to send you to see Saito-kun?" Netto asked.
Dr. Yamana nodded, "Yes, sorry I didn't come right away. Laika-kun and I were discussing some pressing issues." The man glanced over, and Laika merely nodded in agreement.
"Well, Saito's here so you don't have to go and see him now!" Netto informed, and Yamana looked over. His eyes widened in surprise, "And so he is…well, I suppose that'll save me the hassle of walking all the way up there." Yamana commented cheerfully.
Laika, on the other hand, was busy studying Rockman.
"So can we just come into the tent?" Netto asked after a short pause.
Yamana nodded, "Oh, of course! Just step right in, I've got nothing else to do for a whole hour." The orange-haired doctor walked back over to the tent and flipped up the flap, turning around and holding out his arm in a way as to invite them in.
Rockman stared for a moment then looked around. It was terrible out here though he felt oddly compelled to stay. As if something in there was awaiting him, something he'd rather not know.
"Come on!" Netto complained, coming up from behind Rockman and pushing him towards the tent. Rockman complied, walking towards the opening and nodding in thanks to Dr. Yamana as he passed.
There was something happening here, and he knew he was about to find out. But the question was; did he really want to? Did he want to get involved in this universe's situation when he needed to return home now?
He looked back at the others and realized he had no choice. For now, he'd have to play the part. Maybe he'd find a way back during this whole thing, just maybe.
Rockman really hoped so.